Sony’s new soundbars have one-button virtual Dolby Atmos

Virtual surround sound will have you bouncing off the walls

09 January 2018by Stuff Staff

When regular ol’ 5.1 just won’t cut it any more, it’s time to step up to Dolby Atmos. Finding room for those extra height channels ain’t easy, though, so if you’re tight on space, Sony’s found a way to do it virtually.

The 3.1 channel HT-Z9F squeezes Atmos into a single soundbar, with three drivers digitally recreating a full surround sound setup (and a separate subwoofer handling the bass). A “Vertical S” button then delivers virtual 3D sound – whether you’re actually watching Atmos content or not. And if you suddenly find a bit more space behind the sofa, you can add a set of dedicated rear speakers to turn the system into a true 5.1 setup.

We don’t have a price yet for how much the HT-Z9F (or its optional extra speakers) will set you backi n the Middle East but we’ll update you as soon as we know.